Awesome Math Girls

Many popular questions I have frequently heard are “What is math even used for?” or “Will I ever use math in my everyday life?” Naturally, it is difficult to imagine how the infinite number of proofs/theorems in geometry and the linear equations in algebra are used daily, especially outside of the classroom.

Shopping and money management are the most common, math-heavy tasks. The skill of budgeting, counting change, discounts, sales taxes, and overall costs of items being purchased completely involves math. Although it may sound like a simple addition and subtraction activity, mathematics appears in all aspects of our lives.

Simply splitting a slice of cake with a sibling involves math too! Even though we might not realize it, trying to ensure that the cake is cut precisely in half uses math.

Sports, a physical activity many people are passionate about, involve more complex mathematics. From a team player to a cheering fan in the crowd, math calculates the probabilities of winning, strategizing, and scoring. Geometry, the study of shapes, angles, and lines, directly influences the efficiency of a sports game, from the time-effective way a softball player runs the bases to a golfer’s swing mechanics and ball trajectory. Many people also engage in other healthy activities like walking in the park or weightlifting to get stronger. Calculating the number of reps, laps, minutes, and weight measurements also utilizes math.

Event planning is an enjoyable and math-requiring task. A seemingly straightforward plan for a birthday party involves the difficulty of deciding the number of guests, probability of guests accepting the invite, the amount of food per guest, location and space utilization, and budgeting the cost of supplies for the event. 

More examples include managing time to guarantee a productive Saturday, measuring salt to add to a bowl of soup, watering roses in a garden, planning a week-long trip to Italy, playing music, and starting a business. The list could go on forever! Mathematics appears in many forms, making crucial decisions to ensure success in our everyday lives.

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